


When The Winds Of Changes Shift

by mac_andcheeses



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: F/M, Fix-It, jolex, jolex babies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 01:01:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28591434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mac_andcheeses/pseuds/mac_andcheeses
Summary: ONE-SHOT #4May you have a strong foundationWhen the winds of changes shift.
Relationships: Alex Karev & Jo Wilson, Alex Karev/Jo Wilson
Comments: 6
Kudos: 38





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay okay so it's coco's birthday and so i tried and tried and tried and tried to deliver on the update for my multific she's been asking for but of course i couldn't get my shit together enough to do that sooo i just wrote an entirely new one-shot instead...
> 
> apologies for the fact that i am also lacking the part two for this currently haha - i promise it'll be up soon 
> 
> anyways happy happy birthday coco and thanks to being my biggest hype man from day one

He hadn’t expected to be back so soon.

The day he’d called Izzie was the day his life turned upside down. He’d always wondered what it would be like to hear her voice again, to know what she was doing with her life. Alex would be lying if he said he’d never given her some thought; he’d stay awake at night imagining her same old smiley self, baking cakes for every patient in the hospital that she was undoubtedly chief of. It was that optimism – the overwhelming need to be happy all day and every day – that Alex admired about her. And yet, at the same time, it was also what made him realise that Izzie was not the woman for him. There was no doubt in his mind that Jo was the love of his life. And nothing, not Izzie, not anything, could ever change that. Except, what did change things, was Jo.

He knew from the moment he found out about Eli and Alexis that Jo would happily stick by him every step of the way. Hell, she’d probably be a better parent to them than he would. But just a few minutes into the phone call, the future he’d started to envision for him and Jo came crashing down. Alex soon learnt that Izzie’s cancer had returned, and she wasn’t going to beat it this time.

As much as he dreaded the day, he’d wake up without Jo there next to him, he also couldn’t stand the idea of dragging her along for such a long and painful process. Nobody could provide any solid answers, not a treatment plan nor a prognosis. Izzie’s cancer was spreading fast, and no doctor could paint a real picture for the journey to come. So, Alex did the only thing he could live with doing, he left. He left his wife, his friends, his job, his home. He left Seattle to go and be with his children during their mothers final months.

Alex hadn’t really thought about what he’d do when the moment finally came. Izzie’s death wasn’t sudden, nor was it unexpected, but it left Alex feeling misplaced. Here he was, living in the home Izzie had built for herself in the middle of nowhere Kansas, but with no Izzie anymore. He’d thought that staying was what was best for the twins, to give them some normalcy in the midst of their chaotic world. But he’d soon realised that what they really needed was to be surrounded by people who would love them and be there for them. What they needed was Seattle.

So, a couple of weeks of complicated decisions, a hectic few days packing up all the kids things on the farm, and a stressful flight later, and Alex was standing right outside the hospital he thought he’d never see again.

“You paged me?” an all too familiar voice pulled him out of his thoughts. “I haven’t seen you for almost a year and you decide that the best way to reunite is by asking a random nurse on her break to page me?”

“Hey Mer,” Alex felt a rush of relief flood through his body just at the mere sight of his best friend. He knew he had a lot of explaining to do, and a lot of forgiveness to beg for, but just the sound of her voice again brought him so much comfort. “I’d like you to meet two very important people for me,” Alex stepped aside to reveal both twins waiting patiently on the bench behind him. “These are my kids.”

Meredith took a step forward to greet the Alex and Izzie doppelgangers, but was quickly interrupted by a 911 alert flashing on her pager. “I’m sorry, Alex, I really have to take this,” she sighed sympathetically. “Take the twins up to day care, Bailey and Ellis are up there. I’ll meet you there afterwards,” she yelled mid-run.

“Okay kiddos, change of plans!” Alex swiveled on his feet to face the twins. “Let’s go meet you cousins instead.”

## ***

Of course, Bailey had been ecstatic to see him. Alex walked in the door and the little boy had practically tackled him to the ground. Ellis, on the other hand, was a little more reserved than her brother and didn’t talk right away. Instead, she silently wrapped her hand around his and pulled him by the arm over to the nursery where she’d been sitting before.

“Her name’s Laela,” Ellis said her first words to him, pointing to the baby in the bassinet.

“It is, huh?” Alex played along. “And how do we know Laela?”

Ellis didn’t respond straight away though, rather shrugging her shoulders and rolling her eyes at her uncle. “You’re silly,” she giggled as she walked off to join her brother and the twins.

Alex shook his head at his nieces odd attitude, before turning back to properly look at the baby she’d presented him with. She was young, four months old maybe, clearly new to the daycare. Her curious green eyes found Alex’s, locking focus. She had a calm temperament about her, wide awake but ever so content despite the screams of older children erupting in the next room. The very small number of chocolate curls growing on her head felt familiar to Alex, but he couldn't quite place it. Her face glowed from a light within, which he watched intensively, until the happiest grin appeared too and a small giggle was heard. She was smiling at him.

“Hey there, sweet girl…” Alex reached into the basket, her miniature fingers grasping his and holding on tight. He couldn’t explain the feeling that overwhelmed him in that moment, the joy, the comfort it brought, but he knew that somehow it was exactly what he needed.

It wasn’t until he heard her voice that all the pieces came together.

“What are you doing here?” she said softly from behind him, her voice shaking with every word.

It all made sense now; the Karev head shape, her already so mischievous grin, the chocolate coloured ringlets which matched her moms, this was his and Jo’s kid. There was no doubt about it in his mind.

## ***

His breath hitched in his throat, suffocating the words trying to form, keeping him silent.

“Alex?” he heard her voice quiver again, causing nausea to build up inside him at the mere sound of it.

Staring back at the baby still wrapped around his finger, everything suddenly shifted. He noticed all the features the small child shared with Eli and Alexis, from the dimples on their cheeks, to the way their eyebrows always looked slightly furrowed, Laela was definitely their sister.

He didn’t know what to do or how to act next. Jo, his wife, the love of his life – who he now knew was pregnant when he up and left her almost a year previous – was now standing behind him.

Deciding that it would be worse to keep ignoring her, Alex turned slowly to face the woman he’d spent every day since he’d been gone thinking about. “Hey,” he smiled, stepping forward slightly to lessen the gap between them.

Except Jo didn’t share his desire to be closer, taking a step to the side to distance herself from him but move close to Laela at the same time. She was quick to lift the small girl out of her bassinet, holding her tight to her chest as she ran her fingers through her hair. “We should get going…” Jo looked around for Laela’s belongings.

“No please,” Alex stepped in front of her. “Can we talk, please Jo. I won’t yell or scream or get upset or anything, I just want to talk.”

The nerves she’d had previously seemingly disappearing as Jo scoffed at his words. “Yeah well, I can’t make the same promise. So I’m going to leave before I give you a piece of my mind and introduce all these children to a much larger vocabulary.”

“Okay, we can talk later instead then. I’m available this afternoon or tomorrow morning, whatever suits you best,” Alex searched her face for any indication that she was softening to him.

“I’m busy, Alex. I can’t just drop everything at your beck and call to have coffee with you.”

“Please, Jo, I’m begging you. I want to be in her life. I want to know Laela.”

The mention of her daughter's name caused Jo to stop in her path, looking back at Alex confusingly. “Who even told you about her?”

“Nobody. Ellis pulled me over here and told me her name and stuff. I only stayed watching her because she seemed special, it’s weird really, she just pulled me in. I didn’t realise who she was until a second ago,” Alex explained.

Jo squeezed her eyes anxiously, collecting the last of her things and throwing Laela’s diaper bag over her shoulder. “Tomorrow. 10am sharp. I’ll text you the address.”

“You did good, Jo. You did really good,” Alex added as she brushed past him towards the exit. “She’s perfect.”

“I know,” she adjusted Laela on her shoulder to push the door open, leaving into the corridor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading 💛
> 
> Tumblr: @mac-andcheeses


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did i write this in an hour? yes 
> 
> am i 100% confident it makes sense? no 
> 
> will i regret not proof reading this when i re-read it in the morning? definitely 
> 
> enjoy xoxo

It wasn’t unusual for Alex to wake up before the sun; he was a surgeon after all. His body had gotten used to sleeping wherever and whenever no matter the time, so he was always prepared to spring back to life at the drop of a hat when he was needed again. Even so, he also never woke up any earlier than necessary. Most mornings consisted of a last minute rush out the door, his shoes almost never on his feet as he ran to the car. That is, however, unless he was nervous about something. 

His anxiety had a tendency to wake him up bright and early on days when he had important plans. Hence, with his mind completely preoccupied with seeing Jo again, Alex stirred to the moon still shining through the bedroom window. And with hours before another person was due to hit the streets of Seattle, he found himself walking around the quiet neighbourhood to pass the time until 10 o’clock.

The drive to Jo’s place lasted forever, or at least it felt that way to Alex. He was secretly hoping she had stayed living at the loft, but it made sense for her to want to move somewhere more child friendly. Somewhere that her and Laela could live safely. Ah yes, Laela, their daughter, and probably the only reason his ex-wife was giving him the time of day. He’d expected complete silent treatment from her on his return. Either that or a full-blown yelling fit, but no in between. Instead, he’d gotten something completely outside what he considered the realm of possibility. He’d gotten a daughter with the love of his life. 

Alex didn’t even get the chance to clear the last step to the porch when the front door swung open, revealing a flustered looking Jo on the other side. She was busy shoving spare clothes in a diaper bag as she handed it over to a younger girl who was already on her way out with Laela bundled up in her arms. With a blanket blocking his view, he was unable to see her face, but his eyes immediately settled on the small hands which were wrapped around his finger just the day before. 

“Alex,” Jo appeared shocked to see him, “you’re early.” 

It’s true, he was earlier than they agreed, although it was not by much. The area where Jo was living was new to him, so he’d set off with plenty of time to spare in case he ran into any problems along the way. He ended up pulling in her driveway ten minutes too soon, but didn't expect it would cause any problems. From the look on Jo’s face, however, it had. 

“Yeah, I hope that’s okay. Traffic was on my side and all,” he explained. 

“Um, yeah, that’s okay,” Jo stepped aside to make way for him, “come in. I was just getting some last minute things sorted,” she looked between Alex and the younger girl, hesitantly. She could tell by the way he was looking at her that he was disappointed to see Laela leaving. Jo, suddenly feeling guilty for her decision to call the babysitter, felt the need to break the tension. “This my neighbour, Sarah. She babysits for me every now and then when I need an hour or two to get things done. I can call them back after we get the chance to talk,” she nodded as she spoke, almost as a way to prompt his agreement to her words. That last thing Jo needed was for him to fight her on the topic and do anything dramatic like prying the baby out of the poor girl's arms. 

“If that’s how you’d like to do this,” Alex smiled reassuringly, already catching onto her anxiety. “It’s nice to meet you, Sarah.” 

“You too,” the cheerful blonde grinned, bouncing Laela softly in the process as she tried to calm her growing cries. “And I’ll be right next door if you need me at all, Doctor Karev,” she waved behind over Alex’s shoulder to Jo. 

“You kept your name?” Alex tilted his head, curiously, watching as Jo avoided all eye contact and kept herself preoccupied by wiping down the kitchen bench. 

She sighed heavily, stopping in her step but still not willing to look him in the eye. “I wanted to have the same name as my daughter. She’s a Karev, so I’m a Karev.” 

He didn’t know what to say, so he just nodded, unsure how to respond to something like that. Hearing that she was still a Karev was both really reassuring and completely heartbreaking at the same time. He’ll make no secret about it; Alex would give anything to have one last shot with Jo, for her to claim his name proudly. But, he hated that she’d only kept that connection to him because she’d felt like she had to for their daughter. 

“Tell me about her,” Alex tested the waters. “I want to know everything.” 

“Let’s go outside,” Jo suggested, leading him through the house to a set of sliding doors in the back. “Here,” she handed him a cup of coffee. 

He had taken only one sip when his face screwed itself up at the bitterness, a common feature in Jo’s coffees. In the past, he complained about her lack of barrister skills endlessly, always mocking her. But now, it was a nostalgic taste. It felt like home. 

“What?” she noticed the funny face he was pulling. “Do you not like that drink anymore?” 

Alex chuckled, unsure how to tell the woman he was trying to get to forgive him for leaving her in a letter that her coffee sucks. “No,” he lied, “it’s perfect.” 

“I burnt it again didn’t I,” she glared, deadpan, unimpressed by his obvious fib. 

“Oh so badly,” he let out a sigh of relief at her own admission. “But I love it. It tastes like every morning in the loft.” 

It was a mistake; he shouldn’t have said it. He realised that the second it slipped from his mouth. The hurt, the betrayal, and the sadness, all painted across her face immediately after, all solidified that. 

“Sorry,” he was quick to apologize, “I didn’t mean to upset you.” 

“It’s fine,” she shocked her head in dismissal. “Look, we can’t tiptoe around the truth because the truth is the only way we’re going to get through this. For Laela’s sake and for ours, we’ve got to get all our grievances out in the open. So yes, you left me. You left me in a cowardly and completely unfair way, and you made me feel worthless-” 

“You’re not worthless, Jo,” Alex interrupted. 

“No,” she spoke sternly, pursing her lips, “you don’t get to talk. Let me finish what I’ve got to say before you speak. You might not think I’m worthless, Alex, I’ll give you that. I’d really like to believe that you don’t truly consider me that way. And yet, what you did, the decision you made by leaving me in that way, painted me as worthless. It made our entire relationship feel like a lie. But,” she shifted forward in her seat to be closer to him, “I also forgive you. I forgive you because I understand why you did it. The day I felt Laela kick for the first time, or the day she was born and I got to hold her in my arms, were life changing to me. I felt like a mom. I can’t imagine what it was like for you to meet your children for the first time, to hug them, to hold them, and even consider the possibility of leaving. You did the right thing by sticking by them. Tthose kids are lucky to have you, but you went about it the wrong way. You’re an utter idiot, and I’ll take that opinion to the grave, but I don’t think you’re cruel. There is not a single part of me that thinks you wanted to hurt me.” 

When Jo finally looked up, ready to face him again, she was overwhelmed to be met with the streams of tears falling down his cheek. Alex wasn’t one to cry, but here he was, in sobs as he listened to her speak. She could tell he was trying to talk, attempting to catch his breath so words could come out, however it was another minute or so until he was able to calm properly. 

“Izzie’s dead,” he bit his lip, holding back any more cries at bay. 

“What?” Jo’s eyes widened in shock. That was truly the last thing she expected him to say. 

“Izzie died, she’s gone. When she called me last year and told me about Eli and Alexis, she also told me that her cancer had returned. It was bad, Jo, really bad. No doctor could give us a confident prognosis. I tried so many times to tell you, to just pick up the phone and call you. I wish you’d come and had the opportunity to love my kids the same way I knew you would have done if I’d asked. But no one knew when Izzie was going to go, it could have been days or it could have been months. You didn’t deserve to deal with that; to face the burden of sticking by me everyday as I played happy co-parenting families with my dying ex-wife and our twins. How could I have asked that from you?” 

“Like that,” Jo rolled her eyes in disbelief. “It’s as simple as that, Alex. All you needed to do was tell me the truth, let me know all the details, and then maybe let me decide whether or not I thought I could handle it. Because, let me tell you, laying all alone in the loft as your child kept me awake each and every night was not exactly smooth sailing. I needed you, and I wanted you, but you weren’t there. You left me.” 

Alex moved out of his seat, kneeling opposite Jo as he held his hand comfortably on her knee. “I’m back, the twins and me, I’ve moved them out to Seattle permanently. I’m not going anywhere.” 

“Did you know I found out I was pregnant the morning I received your letter,” Jo wiped a stray tear with the sleeve of her top. “I had had my suspicions for weeks, since before the trial even, but I wanted to wait until you got back to take a test. Except when I realised you weren’t coming back, I figured there was nothing to lose by finding out on my own. I think at that point I was so in denial that I didn’t quite expect the test to actually come back positive but, lo and behold, it did. Reading that letter broke me,” Jo let a few more tears fall, “it killed me. If it wasn’t for Carly then I don’t know if I’d be a mother today. She helped me make sense of it all.” 

“Laela’s lucky to have you,” he said with remorse, stroking a strand of hair out of the way of Jo’s face. “You’re strong.” 

“We don’t need you,” Jo choked back on her sobs. 

The words stung, feeling like a stab to the gut to Alex, and still he also couldn’t argue with them. She was right, Jo was right. He’d had his chance to do right by her, and he’d messed it up. “And I don’t deserve you.” 

“But maybe we want you,” Jo ran her hand softly over his, which was still glued to her knee. “I want to hate you, to yell at you and throw you out of my house but I can’t. I can’t because all I’m doing instead is imagining what it would be like to wake up beside you again. To cuddle against you in my sleep and feel the vibrations of your snores through your chest. I want you to be there when Laela takes her first steps, or eats her first solid food. I want you there for it all. I want to wake up on father’s day and help the twins make you breakfast in bed, and dip the baby’s hand in paint to make you one of those cheesy cards. I want it all, Alex, and I want it with you.” 

  
  
  


*******

  
  


_ Father’s Day 2022  _

It wasn’t unusual for Alex to wake up before the sun, especially when his wife and children were making breakfast. Eli and Alexis weren't the quietest of children, excited squeals echoing throughout the house as they planned all the ways they were going to surprise him throughout the day. However, it was Jo who was undoubtedly the loudest of the bunch. She was dropping pots and pans and cursing loud enough for everyone on the street to hear, it was a miracle that Laela stayed by his side during the whole ordeal. 

“Happy father’s day, daddy!” Alexis sprinted ahead, flinging herself on the bed and immediately waking up her sister. 

“Yeah, happy father’s day, dad,” Eli walked with more caution behind, helping Jo carry in a tray of stacked pancakes. 

“The kids made you breakfast,” Jo grinned, passing off the tray to Alex so she could hold a grumpy Laela in her arms. 

“It looks so yummy, guys,” Alex beamed at the twins, overcome with happiness. “Oh wow,” he gulped, taking a sip of the drink also on the tray, “I see mom was in charge of making the coffee.” 

“Oh ha-ha,” she poked her tongue back, unimpressed by the repeated mocking of her coffee making abilities. “Why don’t you open up the cards they made you.” 

“Hmm, let’s see,” Alex pretended to be thinking, eliciting a laugh from Eli. “I wonder who gave me this one with the giant dinosaur on it.” 

“That’s Eli’s,” Alexis stated matter of factly, clearly not excited by her dad’s jokes. “Mine is the one with the butterfly on it.” 

“I see, I see. Well, they’re both amazing,” Alex held his arms out wide to bring both kids into a hug. “And this must be lae-laes,” he grinned up at Jo, amused by her use of the fainted hand print on the front of the card. 

“It’s getting harder to do those now that she’s decided she doesn’t want to sit still any more,” Jo whined, struggling to keep the wriggly toddler glued to her hip. She wanted to see Alex’s reaction as he read the card, especially the last line, so Jo was desperate not to let Laela down and risk her darting down the hallway as the first chance she got.

“No way…” Alex gawked at Jo. 

“What? Are you having trouble reading?” she teased. 

“Don’t mess with me, Jo.” 

“Hey kids,” Jo turned her attention to the twins sitting patiently on the bed, “why don’t you give your dad that extra special present we were saving until last.” 

  
And with that, they handed him a t-shirt. The t-shirt that said it all.  _ Promoted to father of four  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tumblr: @mac-andcheeses


End file.
